Having people come in every week and go, 'I didn't know you had this,' that's frustrating.

Morgan & York has an identity problem. The iconic sign out front advertises "cheese cheese cheese," and the deli cases are stocked full of artisanal meats, cheeses, pastries, breads and sandwiches, but because of the store layout the location is easily confused with a liquor store. That's something that owners Tommy York and Matt Morgan hope to change with an upcoming store remodel.

"The look and feel of the store is currently a liquor store from the front," said York. "But we've got all this great food that's not really highlighted; really great coffee that we're proud of and neat European sandwiches and soups and things like that that are basically in the back of the store."

York said the plan is to flip the floor plan, bringing the meat and cheese cases, espresso machine, breads, pastries, chocolate and beverage coolers to the front of the store, and moving the liquor farther back in the store. Dividing walls will be removed, offering "clean lines and a straight shot" from the front to the back of the store.

"The front wall will turn into windows with some high-top seating," said York. "We'll have more seating and more natural light. The food will be at the front of the store. The ceiling is going up to the rafters once we remove the dropped ceiling."

To accomplish their goals, Morgan and York will be giving up some surface area and shelving, but they hope to be able to condense items and retain the same product mix.

"We're really proud of the wine and coffee and cheeses we sell, and the people who make it," said York. "They're doing mostly estate wine and handmade salami and cheese and hand-roasted coffee."

York and Morgan bought the former Big Ten Party store from the Towner family in 2001, and other than a rearranging some counters in the back, ripping out old carpeting and a 2005 name change, they haven't made many cosmetic changes in the intervening years.

In recent years, the duo has been adding more ready-to-eat foods, including sandwiches, soups and pastries, but York says that many in the neighborhood are unaware of this aspect of their business.

"Being the best-kept secret is not my goal," laughed York. "I feel like we’ve done done a good job, but we haven’t packaged it in a way that makes it easily accessible for people. I don’t know if the stroller set really feels like going to a liquor store for coffee is exactly what they want to do. If we can’t get them past the liquor in the front, they’re not going to come around the back and go, 'oh wow look at this.' Having people come in every week and go, 'I didn’t know you had this,' that’s frustrating."

York and Morgan expect the work to begin early this spring, once the state agriculture department signs off on their plans.

"Builders are all standing by. Everybody is champing at the bit," said York. "Our general contractor said he didn’t imagine it taking more than a month. It’s all pretty simple. At most, we may have to close for a day or two to get the ceiling out."

York said that his goal is to emulate the communal feel he experienced when he first visited Zingerman's when he was a student at the University of Michigan.

"Everyone was meeting up there on Fridays or Saturdays, riding their bikes there," said York. "There's nothing on this side of town like that. I would love for people to walk in the door here and see their community members enjoying wonderful food and coffee and shopping for lunch meats and cheese and charcuterie and great bread. We'll be here making sandwiches and making connections."